The Franklynn

A Change of Venue

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 23:13:00 +0000

Howdy, all! So... blogging has kind of fallen off my radar this year. There's been a lot going on in my personal life, and I've just not been in a reflective kind of mood for a while. Also, I've long been kind of "meh" about Blogspot, and every time I thought about blogging, I thought about how I needed to figure out a way to work out the kinks in the technical side of the blog, etc.

Anyways, all of this is to say that I've been missing blogging about books. I'll be doing that from now on at:

thefranklynn.wordpress.com

I may pop back over here from time to time to blog about other things, but I'm mostly going to be at Wordpress, talking about books.

See you there!

Books Like Whoa: Looking Forward to the Bookish Year Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 15:46:00 +0000

Happy New Year, y'all!

Hope you and yours found a fun way to ring in the new year. As for me... well, you know how I roll.

Anyways, another year, another book plan.

This year's plan is a kind of via media between 2012 and 2013. 2012 was a highly programmatized year, where I was trying to fulfill a bunch of specific challenges. Result? I felt frustrated that I didn't have as much freedom to choose what I wanted to read and disappointed when I didn't reach my goals.

2013 was much looser - I had overall numbers goals and wanted to make sure that I got at least some pleasure reading in. Result? I met my overall goal but felt too aimless and unsure about what I wanted to read next.

So for 2014, like the good Anglican that I am, I'm taking the middle road. 2014 will be the year of the big ol' book. I'm going to pick a few of the big classics that I've been meaning to get to and work my way through them. I'm sure I'll have some palate cleansers on the side, but I'm going to make these big books my project for the year. Some of them I've never read (like Anna Karenina), some I read when I was a kid and now have little or no memory of (like The Count of Monte Cristo), some I've read excerpts from but not the whole thing (like The Brothers Karamazov) and some of them I've read most of but it was so piecemeal and disjointed that I feel like I need to start again (like War and Peace).

I know on the front end that I am not going to get through all of the ones I've pulled out from my pile as big ol' books. But that's okay. I like the idea of having a project I'm working on long term in the midst of all the reading I have to do anyways for school.

So that's my plan- I'll keep you guys posted on how it's going, but I probably won't be on here quite as much. I'm still figuring out what to do about Friends Friday (which I know a lot of people enjoy, but is a lot of work for me), and I may shade out from time to time, but I won't be a stranger.

What are your New Year's resolutions?

Books Like Whoa: Another Bookish Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 15:01:00 +0000

Whew! This was officially my busiest reading year ever. By my/Firefly's fantabulous spreadsheet's count, I have read 75 new books this year and reread 3 books. By Goodreads' count, I have read 85 new books. Why 2 counts? It comes down to a difference in how we count books I gave up on and... you know what. This is getting too geeky and nuanced even for me. Bottom line? I read about 80 books this year.

Yahoo! Most of these were for school, but I completed/exceeded my goal to read at least 10 books for pleasure and I met my overall books read goal a few months ago. And now that I have another year of data, I can take a look at how my reading patterns have changed year over year. And there are graphs again. Maria and my other stats peeps, you are welcome.

So how did 2013 compare to 2012 as far as bookishness goes? Well, it was actually a pretty different year. To recap, 2012 was the year of the library for me, both because of grad school and in my pleasure reading. Consequently, it was definitely not a year of getting books out of my TBR. My ratings weren't as high in 2012 as they were in 2011 or 2013, and I was reading newer books... again, this was because I was reading more books that I hadn't paid for and therefore took more chances in trying new books. Not just new books, but new authors... in 2012, 93% of the books I read were by authors I hadn't tried before (compare 2011: 72% and 2013: 82%).

As for 2013? Well, on paper, it was a better year of reading for me. My ratings were slightly higher for the books I read (2013: average of 4.38; 2012: average of 4.23*).

I certainly read books that I adored (see Gilead) and books that have opened up new intellectual and spiritual vistas (like Jesus Through the Centuries, The New Testament and the People of God, and Without God, Without Creed). But as I look back on the year, I can't say that I feel like it was a very good year of reading. A lot of that has to do with the constraining aspect of being in school and having a lot of my reading list dictated to me. You can definitely see that in my genre breakdown:

I read way more Christian non-fiction that I normally do, and though I liked a lot of it, few of those titles made me enjoy the reading process itself. It also way skewed my male/female author ratio to the most out of balance that it has ever been (63% male authors this year) which makes me grouchy. Ladies! Write some theology!

I also did not finish a single mystery this year (though I'm in the middle of 2 great ones right now)- that is highly unusual for me. Mysteries are my comfort reads... maybe that is part of why I have been feeling so adrift. I always have a reading agenda- a plan, a vision for where I'm heading with my reading, and a clear idea of how I'm going to get there. Lately? Not so much. I think a lot of that has to do with the constraint of school reading, and, since I'm going to be in school (hopefully) for about 5 more years, I need to figure out how to keep my own reading "voice" amidst the noise of reading for work. *End tangent*

Anyways, a few more points of interest... I read a lot more from my TBR pile this year! You can see that both in the book source (still a lot of library, but not as much) and in the pile break down:

It makes sense that I have been reading more owned books, as I try to buy the assigned books for school. That being said, my TBR grew a lot more than I would have liked. I started the year with 225 books to be read and I end it with 251. Ouch. I swear I have been culling a lot! My overall books owned ratio is going down and I'm moving a lot of them to digital. But I have been buying books for my thesis research and I haven't gotten through all of them yet. Hopefully, I'll be back down to around 200 by the end of 2014.

Also, a word on eReading - it has been slowly growing for me (2 in 2011, 12 in 2012, 15 in 2013). I have an early generation Kindle that I'm perfectly happy with and I don't mind reading for pleasure on it. However, I have found it to be very frustrating when it comes to reading for research - page citations are a nightmare and it is hard to find something unless I marked it at the time. I have an iPad now, so it will be interesting to see if/how that changes my opinion of eReading for work.

Anyways, it has been a mixed year of reading for me. On the one hand, I read books that I now can't imagine not having read, if that makes any sense. Game changer books. On the other hand, I'm only now getting out of a 5 month reading slump in my personal life, so it's hard to feel too rosy about the year as a whole.

Tomorrow is a new year - and that means a fresh slate on the bookish front. Thank God for that!

How was your reading year in 2013?

*See ratings scale

Books Like Whoa: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Favorites)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 15:44:00 +0000

To finish off my year in books, I want to talk about the best book I read in the last 12 months, the book that filled me with renewed faith in the written word, the book that reminded me of the warmth of human kindness...

Gilead

by Marilynne Robinson

Procured from my all time favorite used book store, McKay's

Procured in July 2012

Finished in April 8, 2013

Format: Trade paperback with the iconic white-washed door cover

Why I gave it a try: I'd been meaning to get to Marilynne for ages and then it was assigned for class - two birds, one stone.

Summary: In mid-century Iowa, John Ames is 76 and dying. In addition to the normal process of preparing oneself to depart this world, he is trying to prepare his wife and seven year old son for his imminent death. Realizing that his son will never really know his father, John starts keeping a diary reflecting on his own life, as well as the lives of his father and grandfather. As the third in three generations of preachers in the nascent American West, Ames' stories of the American Civil War weave in and out of his present day reality, where the prodigal son of his best friend has returned to Gilead and is complicating all of their lives.

Thoughts: Considering that Marilynne got the Pulitzer for this, it's not a huge surprise that this is a great book. A beautiful book. A book that makes me despair of ever being able to write sentences half as perfect as the ones that she seems to effortlessly toss out. A book that renders me mute in the face of my own incompetence and reminds me that I will never write a book this good.

Whatever. I need to get over my feelings of smallness that Marilynne's prose kindles within me, because this is a perfectly written novel.

I should say, I do know people who don't like this book at all. I get it. It is purely driven by the writing and the characters, so if you don't like the voice, you're not going to like the book at all. I mean, you'll be wrong, but that's okay.

But all kidding aside, this book is wonderful because it does manage to be so compelling with so little going on. I wouldn't call it stream of consciousness, per se, but because it is written as a diary, there is a wonderful fluidity of time that allows memories from the narrator's childhood to exist with the real time action in a way that illuminates both the memory and the present. Marilynne excels at the old writing moniker, "show don't tell," especially when it comes to the fractious relationships between the men of the Ames family.

Even more than the technical skill of Marilynne that shines through every word of Gilead, what has stuck with me is her ability to articulate the thoughts and feelings that drift shapelessly at the fringes of your consciousness. She shapes these nebulous ideas that you weren't fully aware were there into these delicate scenes and by the end of them, you find yourself crying and filled with the joy of clarity that Marilynne has brought into your emotional life.

This is a book that I know I will return to throughout the years - it's the kind of book that can age with you. And it has made me dip into the rest of her oeuvre, though it is sadly not that big. I started gulping it down, realized the supply was limited, and am now sipping her essays very slowly.

Get this! Read this! Love this! Please - you're only hurting yourself if you don't.

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: Holiday Shopping Guide 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 18:18:00 +0000

Canadian Thanksgiving - check. Halloween - check. American Thanksgiving - check. That means...

It must be Christmas!

For those of you who have a book worm on your list, or, more likely based on statistics, you are buying someone their one or two books for the next year, I have some suggestions to help get you started. (I've linked to reviews where I have them, to give you more info)

For Movie-Lovers:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Yep, this was on here last year. Yep, it will be here again in 2014. God bless you, Peter Jackson, and your trilogy-ing ways.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: People flipped their shit for Gatsby this year, what with the Baz Luhrmannification and all. Just make sure that you don't miss the original!

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: I read all three of these books in roughly 48 hours. It messed up my life. It was also an amazing reading experience. Before you see the (surprisingly) great adaptations, read the books.

World War Z by Max Brooks: The author is Mel Brooks' son and there are zombies. Do you really need any more info?

For TV-Lovers:
A few books that are in the same spirit as some of the tube's biggest hits:

Life is Meals by James & Kay Salter: For the Food Network lovers on your list

The Passage by Justin Cronin: It's not zombies, but this post-apocalyptic opus (part one of three) is a sure winner for fans of The Walking Dead

Gulp by Mary Roach: This intimate exploration of the digestive tract, described with Mary Roach's trademark humor, is a great gross-out read for people who watch any number of the forensic crime shows on TV

Tampa by Alyssa Nutting: Whew - this book is not for everyone. Depicting pedophilia from the prospective of a woman on the hunt for her next victim, Tampa will shed new light on icky-ness for those who love Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran: A smart and funny memoir for ladies who dig The Mindy Project

For Dad:
It seems like dear ol' Dad is always one of the hardest people to buy for. You ask him what he wants and he says... nothing. Thank you very much. So here's a few reads that will get the job done:

Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr: For the foodie Dad

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach: For the science nerd Dad

Walking With Jack by Don J. Snyder: For the golfing Dad

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes: For the 'Nam Dad

For History Nerds:
There are just so many of us history geeks out there (me, your uncle Sal, your great aunt Sissy...) that I thought I'd call out some options for that contingent...

Without God, Without Creed by James Turner: An intellectual history that explores how non-belief became a viable option for Americans... from the Reformation and to the peak of naturalism in the 19th century, Turner demonstrates how our objective epistemology was surgically removed from our subjective epistemology. Fascinating!

Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy by John Julius Norwich: Norwich dives into the nitty-gritty of papal politics. As you might expect, things get complicated real quick...

Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe by Anne Applebaum: An exploration of the Cold War years from the other side of the curtain

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: My favorite novel of all time is also an incredible example of the historical novel. Set in a rural English estate in the 1930s through the 1950s, Ishiguro explores class dynamics, German sympathizers, and the ethics of our working life in a one beautiful, perfect narrative.

For Jesus People:
Since I'm studying theology, it would be wrong if I didn't include a few of these...

Letters and Papers from Prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: READ THIS BOOK. Seriously. Go. I'll wait.

Jesus Through the Centuries by Jaroslav Pelikan: A fantastic (and very devotional) look at church history. Pelikan organizes the chapters by various aspects of Jesus that Christians have emphasized at different historical moments (i.e. Jesus the Liberator, Jesus the Monk Who Ruled the World, etc.)

Letters to Malcolm by C.S. Lewis: My favorite book and a wonderful guide to prayer

The New Testament and the People of God by N.T. Wright: One of the most important works on the nascent church and the Palestinian Jewish culture that birthed it

Wellsprings by Anthony de Mello: A great collection of spiritual exercises from a Jesuit- I've found myself whipping this out a lot for devotionals that I've led this term

A Prayer Journal by Flannery O'Connor: This is a new book that's on my Christmas list - it is O'Connor's personal prayer journal from when she was in university.

For Book People:
I'm a book person. You may have other book people in your life. And there's nothing that book people love more than books about books.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe: For the book person who wants a good cry over the power of the written word to bring people together

An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis: For the book person who's wrestling with the question of what Good Literature even is

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: For the book person who loves beautiful prose

The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor: For the book person who wants to spend some time with a funny, smart author through their correspondence

Books by Charlie Hill: For the book person who wants to snigger at the state of publishing (another on my Christmas list)

For Classics People:
Because I've had classics on the brain lately, I thought I would pass some classics love around and remind you that a book doesn't have to be from the last few years to be a great gift

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: For the classics lover who likes their villains mustache-twirling and their heroines spunky

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: For the classics lover who likes a good caper (I'm in the middle of this now and it is great!)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: For the classics lover who loves big, fancy Russian novels

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh: For the classics lover who loves big, fancy English estates

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym: For the classics lover who has gone through all their Jane Austen and wants more

For Funsies:
If you're just looking for a fun, well written fiction book, here are a few titles that I think have pretty broad appeal across taste, age, and gender...

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling: rural England + local politics + sudden death

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: messy marriage + sudden disappearance + twisty twists

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones: upper crusty Brits + early 20th century + sudden nearby train crash

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy: existential angst + New Orleans + beautiful prose

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson: Nazis + reincarnation + early 20th century Brits

Tenth of December by George Saunders: short stories + offbeat settings + beautiful prose

For White Elephant:
Or Yankee Swap, or Dirty Santa, or whatever you call it...

Since last year we went with Fifty Shades of Grey, how about:

Ravished by the Triceratops by Christie Sims (there is a whole new romance genre about women and dinosaurs... what in the #$%*!? But I think you can safely bet you will win for craziest gift with any of these titles)

***

Those are my Christmas picks- happy present buying!

Books Like Whoa: Where to Start with C.S. Lewis?

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Whew- it has been a great week o' Lewis! I have loved dusting off the old bookshelf and revisiting some of my favorite books - not just favorite Lewis books, but favorite books full stop. My modest dream is that someone who has not read any or much of C.S. Lewis may have been encountering my posts and be intrigued to start reading some of his work. How would I feel if I convinced someone to start reading Jack?

Just a little excited.

Anyways, I wanted to give some parting guidance as to where one could go from here. First, if you are interested in hearing more about C.S. Lewis' life and thought, Regent College Audio has a number of lectures available (for free until November 26, 2013).

As for where to start with the Lewis oeuvre...

I think the best place for anyone to start with C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters. It is where I started, as a matter of fact, I am very thankful that I did. It represents most of what is great about Lewis: humor, satire, his mastery of the epistolary form, philosophical musings, and religious insights. I firmly believe this is the place to start with C.S. Lewis.

There are a few different streams to follow from here...

If you are interested in Lewis' literary and philosophical writing:

1) An Experiment in Criticism
2) The Discarded Image
3) God in the Docks: Essays on Theology and Ethics
4) On Stories
5) Of Other Worlds
6) A Grief Observed
7) The Four Loves

If you are interested in Lewis' fiction:

1) The Chronicles of Narnia (starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and then going back through chronologically with The Magician's Nephew and so on)
2) Til We Have Faces
3) The Great Divorce
4) The Space Trilogy (starting with Out of the Silent Planet)
5) The Pilgrim's Regress

If you are interested in Lewis' religious and apologetic writing:

1) Mere Christianity
2) Letters to Malcolm
3) The Great Divorce
4) The Four Loves
5) The Weight of Glory
6) The Abolition of Man
7) The Problem of Pain
8) God in the Docks: Essays on Theology and Ethics

If you are interested in Lewis' own life:

1) Surprised by Joy
2) A Grief Observed
3) The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis (Vols. 1-3)
4) Letters to Malcolm
5) All My Road Before Me: A Diary

These are my recommendations, though of course there are other books that I turn to for different moods.

Thus endeth the week of Lewis... For those of you who also love Jacks' work, where would you tell people to start?

Books Like Whoa: Letters to Malcolm by C.S. Lewis (Jesus Corner)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 17:51:00 +0000

Finally, we wrap up the week with my favorite C.S. Lewis book:

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

by C.S. Lewis

This book was originally published in 1964.

We've reached the zenith of our week and of my feelings about the Lewis oeuvre: today is the 50th anniversary of Jack's death and today's book is my favorite work by him.

Letters to Malcolm isn't one of the "marquee" books that people associate with Lewis. It's small, quiet, and on a topic that is very specifically aimed at religious people (i.e. prayer). It was one of the very last things he wrote before he died, so it didn't have time to build notoriety in his lifetime. And it doesn't have a sexy premise like in The Screwtape Letters or The Great Divorce.

Nevertheless, this book is teeming with wisdom, humor, and insight into the human condition. It is Jack at his most pastoral and practical- I think there are few places where his personal warmth and spirit come through more clearly, save his personal letters. For those who pray, it is also a tremendously helpful volume to cultivate and deepen your prayer life, or at least to understand it better.

The excerpt I chose for today has Jack describing the "festoons" that he has placed around the Lord's Prayer - the explanatory framework that he uses to think through each element of the prayer. This passage was when I fell in love with the book on my first read:

"Thy kingdom come. That is, may your reign be realized here, as it is realized there. But I tend to take there on three levels. First, as in the sinless world beyond the horrors of animal and human life; in the behavior of stars and trees and water, in sunrise and wind. May there be here (in my heart) the beginning of a like beauty. Secondly, as in the best human lives I have known: in all the people who really bear the burdens and ring true, and in the quiet, busy, ordered life of really good families and really good religious houses. May that too be 'here.' Finally, of course, in the usual sense: as in Heaven, as among the blessed dead.

And here can of course be taken not only as 'in my heart,' but as 'in this college' - in England- in the world in general. But prayer is not the time for pressing our own favorite social or political panacea...

Thy will be done. My festoons on this have been added gradually. At first I took it exclusively as an act of submission, attempting to do with it what Our Lord did in Gethsemane. I thought of God's will purely as something that would come upon me, something of which I should be the patient. And I also thought of it as a will which would be embodied in pains and disappointments. Not, to be sure, that I supposed God's will for me to consist entirely of disagreeables. But I thought it was only the disagreeables that called for this preliminary submission - the agreeables could look after themselves for the present. When they turned up, one could give thanks...

But at other times other meanings could be added. So I add one more. The peg for it is, I admit, much more obvious in the English version than in the Greek or Latin. No matter: this is where the liberty of festooning comes in. 'Thy will be done.' But a great deal of it is to be done by God's creatures; including me. The petition, then, is not merely that I may patiently suffer God's will but also that I may vigorously do it. I must be an agent as well as a patient. I am asking that I may be enabled to do it. In the long run I am asking to be given 'the same mind which was also in Christ.'

Taken this way, I find the words have a more regular daily application. For there isn't always - or we don't always have reason to suspect that there is - some great affliction looming in the near future, but there are always duties to be done; usually for me, neglected duties to be caught up with. 'Thy will be done - by me- now' brings one back to brass tacks...

I am beginning to feel that we need a preliminary act of submission not only towards possible future afflictions but also towards possible future blessings... It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good...These occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own new blessing, if only we would lay ourselves open to it. God shows us a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we're still looking for the old one. And of course we don't get that. You can't, at the twentieth reading, get again the experience of reading Lycidas for the first time. But what you do get can be in its own way as good.

This applies especially to the devotional life. Many religious people lament that the first fervors of their conversion have died away. They think - sometimes rightly, but not, I believe, always- that their sins account for this. They may even try by pitiful efforts of will to revive what now seem to have been the golden days. But were those fervors - the operative word is those- ever intended to last?

I would be rash to say that there is any prayer which God never grants. But the strongest candidate is the prayer we might express in the single word encore. and how should the Infinite repeat Himself? All space and time are too little for Him to utter Himself in them once.

And the joke, or tragedy, of it all is that these golden moments in the past, which are so tormenting if we erect them into a norm, are entirely nourishing, wholesome, and enchanting if we are content to accept them for what they are, for memories. Properly bedded down in a past which we do not miserably try to conjure back, they will send up exquisite growths...

I expect we all do much the same with the prayer for our daily bread. It means, doesn't it, all we need for the day - 'things requisite and necessary as well for the body as for the soul.' I should hate to make this clause 'purely religious' by thinking of 'spiritual' needs alone. One of its uses, to me, is to remind us daily that what Burnaby calls the naif view of prayer is firmly built into Our Lord's teaching.

Forgive us... as we forgive. Unfortunately there's no need to do any festooning here. To forgive for the moment is not difficult. But to go on forgiving, to forgive the same offense again every time it recurs to the memory - there's the real tussle. My resource is to look for some action of my own which is open to the same charge as the one I'm resenting. If I still smart to remember how A let me down, I must still remember how I let B down. If I find it difficult to forgive those who bullied me at school, let me, at that very moment, remember, and pray for, those I bullied...

I was never worried myself by the words lead us not into temptation, but a great many of my correspondents are... So that the petition essentially is, 'Make straight our paths. Spare us, where possible, from all crises, whether of temptation or affliction.'... It adds a sort of reservation to all our preceding prayers. As if we said, 'In my ignorance I have asked for A, B, and C. But don't give me them if you foresee that they would in reality be to me either snares or sorrows.'...If God had granted all the silly prayers I've made in my life, where should I be now?

I don't often use the kingdom, the power, and the glory. When I do, I have an idea of the kingdom as sovereignty de jure; God, as good, would have a claim on my obedience even if He had no power. The power is the sovereignty de facto - He is omnipotent. And the glory is - well, the glory; the 'beauty so old and new,' and 'light from behind the sun.'" - pp.24-28

C.S. Lewis is my favorite author and this is my favorite book by him. So I guess this is the best answer I have to the question, "what's your favorite book?"... And I am quite content to have this wonderful little tome as my answer.

That wraps up my countdown of favorite Lewis books... I'll finish off our week o' Jack tomorrow with recommendations on where to start for Lewis newbies.

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (Favorites Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 17:58:00 +0000

Rounding the corner with my favorite Narnia book....

The Magician's Nephew

by C.S. Lewis

This book was originally published in 1955.

The Chronicles of Narnia are well-known and beloved. It's no news that they are some of Jack's most lasting literary contributions. Most people focus on the more popular books, particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. I love all the books, but those aren't my favorites. I've always preferred The Horse and His Boy and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader... but especially The Magician's Nephew. From the first time I read it, I fell in love. The humor, the character sketches, the imagery - I just loved it all.

There are two parts of this book that particularly speak to me: Aslan singing Narnia into existence and Aslan & Digory talking about the apples...

“A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. It was hardly a tune. But it was beyond comparison, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.”

***

“Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again; a pure, cold, difficult music. Then there came a swift flash like fire (but it burnt nobody) either from the sky or from the Lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's bodies, and the deepest, wildest voice they had ever heard was saying: "Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.”

***

“He thinks great folly, child,' said Aslan. "This world is bursting with life for these few days because the song with which I called it into life still hangs in the air and rumbles in the ground. It will not be so for long. But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice. If I spoke to him, he would hear only growlings and roarings. Oh, Adam's son, how cleverly you defend yourself against all that might do you good!”

***

“But please, please - won't you - can't you give me something that will cure Mother?'

Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.

'My son, my son,' said Aslan. 'I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another. ..."

***

“But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it.”... “Child, that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. Oh, the fruit is good, but they loath it ever after.”

***

Also, any time Uncle Andrew comes up, that is basically my favorite... especially when he and Jadis go through London together. Love it! I know that The Magician's Nephew is kind of the dorky, unloved younger brother of its series siblings, but I still love it best. Hopefully there will be a decent movie made about it some day...

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (Jesus Corner - Favorites Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 22:40:00 +0000

Next, we turn to my favorite allegory from Jack:

The Great Divorce

by C.S. Lewis

This book was originally published in 1945.

I didn't realize how greatly this book had impacted my thinking until I got to college and started leading a small group. Nearly every time I was walking through issues with someone, the words, "There's this part in The Great Divorce..." would come out of my mouth. There are so many types represented in this book, which makes it an endless applicable tale.

One scene has always stuck out in particular to me, where a woman explains to her husband why she cannot leave Heaven to go back to Hell:

"'Darling,' said the Lady to the Dwarf, 'there's nothing to face. You don't want me to have been miserable for misery's sake. You only think I must have been if I loved you. But if you'll only wait you'll see that isn't so.'

'Love!' said the Tragedian striking his forehead with his hand: then, a few notes deeper, 'Love! Do you know the meaning of the word?'

'How should I not?' said the Lady. 'I am in love. In love, do you understand? Yes, now I love truly.'

'You mean,' said the Tragedian, 'you mean- you did not love me truly in the old days.'

'Only in a poor sort of way,' she answered. 'I have asked you to forgive me. There was a little real love in it. But what we call love down there was mostly the craving to be loved. In the main I loved you for my own sake: because I needed you.'

'And now!' said the Tragedian with a hackneyed gesture of despair. 'Now, you need me no more?'

'But of course not!' said the Lady; and her smile made me wonder how both the phantoms could refrain from crying out with joy. 'What needs could I have,' she said, 'now that I have all? I am full now, not empty. I am in Love Himself, not lonely. Strong, not weak. You shall be the same. Come and see. We shall have no need for one another now: we can begin to love truly.' ... 'Listen to reason. Did you think joy was created to live always under that threat? Always defenseless against those who would rather be miserable than have their self-will crossed? For it was real misery. I know that now. You made yourself really wretched. That you can still do. But you can no longer communicate your wretchedness. Everything becomes more and more itself. Here is joy that cannot be shaken. Our light can swallow up your darkness; but your darkness cannot now infect our life. No, no, no. Come to us. We will not go to you. Can you really have thought that love and joy would always be at the mercy of frowns and sighs? Did you not know they were stronger than their opposites?"

...'You do not love me,' said the Tragedian in a thin bat-like voice: and he was now very difficult to see.

'I cannot love a lie,' said the Lady. 'I cannot love the thing which is not. I am in Love, and out of it I will not go.'

(pp.125-26, 132-33)

Whew. I just love that.

I know that allegories aren't everyone's bag, but when they are well-executed, I love me a good allegory. This is a great one.

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Next, we turn to one of my favorite books from Clive's scholarly life...

An Experiment in Criticism
by C.S. Lewis

This book was originally published in 1961.

Jack has a number of books that get overlooked by people who want to put him in a box as a children's author or an apologist. Chief among his overlooked books, at least in the mainstream, are his works on literature and the medievalists. The Discarded Image is a particularly wonderful book that helps explain the epistemological basis of medieval society.

One of my favorite works in this area is An Experiment in Criticism. It's basically trying to answer the questions "what is good literature?" and "how do we recognize it?" In the course of answering these questions, Jack meanders through many great musings on what literature means and what reading does to us. His thoughts on visual media are particularly prescient. There are so many bon mots throughout... I thought I'd compile a "best of" list:

Impact of Media on Reading

"We sit down before the picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it." p. 19

"In general the parallel between the popular uses of music and of pictures is close enough. Both consist of 'using' rather than 'receiving.' Both rush hastily forward to do things with the work of art instead of waiting for it to do something to them." p. 25

"He reads only narrative because only there will he find an Event. He is deaf to the aural side of what he reads because rhythm and melody do not help him to discover who married (rescued, robbed, raped, or murdered) whom. He likes 'strip' narratives and almost wordless films because in them nothing stands between him and the Event. And he likes speed because a very swift story is all events." p. 30 ... "Let us be quite clear that the unliterary are unliterary not because they enjoy stories in these ways, but because they enjoy them in no other." p. 38

On What Makes Good Writing

"When a good writer leads you into a garden he either gives you a precise impression of that particular garden at that particular moment- it need not be long, selection is what counts- or simply says, 'It was in the garden, early.'" p. 34

"[Stylemongers] judge [style or English] neither by its sound nor by its power to communicate but by its conformity to certain arbitrary rules." p. 35

"If it means those things which 'grip' the reader of popular romance- suspense, excitement, and so forth- then I would say that every book should be entertaining. A good book will be more; it must not be less." pp.91-92

On How to Read Well

"We can find a book bad only by reading it as if it might, after all, be very good. We must empty our minds and lay ourselves open. There is no work in which holes can't be picked; no work that can succeed without a preliminary act of good will on the part of the reader." p. 116

"Good reading, therefore, though it is not essentially an affectional or moral or intellectual activity, has something in common with all three. In love we escape from our self into one other. In the moral sphere, every act of justice or charity involves putting ourselves in the other person's place and thus transcending our own competitive particularly. In coming to understand anything we are rejecting the facts as they are for us in favor of the facts as they are. The primary impulse of each is to maintain and aggrandize himself. The secondary impulse is to go out of the self, to correct its provincialism and heal its loneliness. In love, in virtue, in the pursuit of knowledge, and in the reception of the arts, we are doing this. Obviously this process can be described either as an enlargement or as a temporary annihilation of the self. But that is an old paradox; 'he that loseth his life shall save it.'" p. 138

"Those of us who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realize the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors. We realize it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense but he inhabits a tiny world... Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality." p. 140

"In the course of my inquiry I have rejected the views that literature is to be valued a) for telling us truths about life, b) as an aid to culture. I have also said that, while we read, we must treat the reception of the work we are reading as an end in itself. And I have discussed from the Vigilants' belief that nothing can be good as literature which is not good simply."p. 130

Other Words of Wisdom

"The pleasure of myth depends hardly at all on such usual narrative attractions as suspense or surprise. Even at a first hearing it is felt to be inevitable." p.43

"Nothing is more characteristically juvenile than contempt for juvenility." p. 73

"...many young people derive the belief that tragedy is essentially 'truer to life' than comedy. This seems to me wholly unfounded. Each of these forms chooses out of real life just those sorts of events it needs. The raw materials are all around us, mixed anyhow." p. 80

There's also a great section on what healthy day-dreaming looks like. He calls productive exercise of our imagination "normal castle-building," and destructive, all-consuming day-dreaming that keeps us from engaging fully with life "morbid castle-building." Great stuff.

Anyhoo, this is a wonderful and underrated book that I think any thoughtful consumer of media could benefit from reading.

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis (Jesus Corner)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 18:39:00 +0000

Let's start with one of Jack's books that has impacted my thinking the most directly:

The Four Loves

by C.S. Lewis

This book was originally published in 1943.

Unlike many of Jack's books, I did not read this one in the infancy of my faith. I read it once I well along the road... and I didn't technically read it. I listened to it. As it was narrated. By C.S. Lewis himself. Bam!

The Four Loves has profoundly impacted the way I think about many things: the purpose of parenthood, the nature of family, the beauty of friendship. But the passage that touches me most deeply comes near the end when Lewis describes the risks of love:

"In words which can still bring tears to the eyes, St. Augustine describes the desolation into which the death of his friend Nebridius plunged him (Confessions IV, 10). Then he draws a moral. This is what comes, he says, of giving one's heart to anything but God All human beings pass away. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only Beloved who will never pass away.

Of course this is excellent sense. Don't put your goods in a leaky vessel. Don't spend too much on a house you may be turned out of. And there is no man alive who responds more naturally than I to such canny maxims. I am a safety-first creature. Of all arguments against love none makes so strong an appeal to my nature as 'Careful! This might lead you to suffering.'

To my nature, my temperament, yes. Not to my conscience. When I respond to that appeal I seem to myself to be a thousand miles away from Christ. If I am sure of anything I am sure that His teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference for safe investments and limited liabilities. I doubt whether there is anything in me that pleases Him less. And who could conceivably begin to love God on such a prudential ground - because the security (so to speak) is better? Who could even include it among the grounds for loving? Would you choose a wife of a Friend - if it comes to that, would you choose a dog- in this spirit? One must be outside the world of love, of all loves, before one thus calculates. Eros, lawless Eros, preferring the Beloved to happiness, is more like Love himself than this.

I think that this passage in the Confessions is less a part of St. Augustine's Christendom than a hangover from the high-minded Pagan philosophies in which he grew up. It is closer to Stoic 'apathy' or neo-Platonic mysticism than to charity. We follow One who wept over Jerusalem and at the grave of Lazarus, and, loving all, yet had one disciple whom, in a special sense, he 'loved.' St. Paul has a higher authority with us that St. Augustine- St. Paul who shows no sign that he would not have suffered like a man, and no feeling that he ought not so to have suffered, if Epaphroditus had died (Phil 2:27).

Even if it were granted that insurances against heartbreak were our highest wisdom, does God Himself offer them? Apparently not. Christ comes at last to say, 'Why hast thou forsaken me?'

There is no escape along the lines St. Augustine suggests. Nor along any other lines. There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

I believe that the most lawless and inordinate loves are less contrary to God's will than a self-invited and self-protective lovelessness. It is like hiding the talent in a napkin and for much the same reason 'I knew thee that thou wert a hard man.' Christ did not teach and suffer that we might become, even in the natural loves, more careful of our own happiness. If a man is not uncalculating towards the earthly beloveds whom he has seen, he is none the more likely to be so towards God whom he has not. We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armor. If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as the way in which they should break, so be it." (pp. 120-22)

This passage pierces my soul, because it speaks to my own condition so pointedly. I want to keep my heart locked up. I don't want to gamble. I don't want to risk my love and sanity for the sake of others. It would be easy to pass off that kind of safety-first approach as holy work of saving my heart for God, but Lewis will not allow that kind of hypocrisy. The life of Christ, if nothing else, is one of reckless love.

This is a beautiful, small book that is a great entry point for Lewis' work, for those who have not yet delved into his oeuvre... it's also one that hold up to rereading. I reread it at least once a year, and I never fail to be touched and challenged by it.

Rating:

7 - I will have to seriously reevaluate any friendship or romantic interest that does not like this book: a favorite

Books Like Whoa: Remembering C.S. Lewis

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 21:48:00 +0000

On November 22, 1963, two notable figures died: John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis. Though his death was not as dramatic as JFK's, Lewis did die that day in his home after an extended illness. In the clamor around JFK's assassination, Lewis' passing went largely unnoticed. However, as the years have passed and his work continues to be an important part of our cultural landscape, it is well worth taking a moment (or in this case, a week) to muse on his life and work. His books have been a huge part of my life - which is weird, considering that he died 24 years before I was born. But I would not be who I am, or doing what I'm doing right now, without having encountering this man.

What strikes me when I look over his work is how varied it is. Medieval scholar, science fiction writer, popular apologist, poet, children's literature icon, mythmaker, philosopher, memoirist, literary critic - he tackles so many genres and, while he excels in some areas more than others, it is amazing how successful he is on the whole.

I've reflected before on what Jack has meant to me in my life - this week, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death, I'm going to revisit five of my favorite C.S. Lewis books. I've tried to pick ones that both have meant a lot to me personally and that represent the breadth of his output.

So join me tomorrow, when we take a look at The Four Loves.

November Hiatus: On Shading Out

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 06:18:00 +0000

We have entered possibly the craziest month of the year - holidays coming up, lots of papers and finals prep, various job planning craziness. Where does all of this work come from?

Regardless, I'll be shading out for a good chunk of this month, in all likelihood. When I need a break from the crazy, I'll be back. And I will DEFINITELY be back to mark the 50th anniversary of C.S. Lewis' death. In the mean time, however, I am not dead or kidnapped (at least, I hope not). Just buried under the work.

Tootles!

Books Like Whoa: America in 10 Books

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:49:00 +0000

I was intrigued by a challenge recently laid down by one of my favorite book podcasts. The challenge was to describe your country through 10 books that would give someone moving to your country the most realistic picture of what life is like. To be honest, I found the "realistic" bit quite difficult.

Let's take my home state/region: Tennessee and the Southern USA. I'm not sure that I've ever read a book that realistically depicts what life is like today in that area of the country... almost all Southern fiction worth its salt is concerned with "the Old South" and all the horrors and glories that go along with that extinct way of life. That being said, I still think that those books accurately capture the atmosphere of the South, whether they are set in 1863, 1963, or 2013.

NYC, I daresay, has the largest quantity of "realistic" fiction set within its boroughs. That being said, it still is only depicting a certain kind of New York experience. Considering it is the most linguistically diverse city in the world, with an enormous range of income and education levels, I think it's safe to say that writing a definitive New York novel would be basically impossible.

So, rather than torturing myself by trying to find genuinely realistic portrayals of American life, I am going to stick to books that realistically convey the mood or atmosphere of a place. Most of these are not set in the present day, but I think each of them still uniquely captures the essence of their setting. I've tried to cover most of the country, though (and I'm sure this is true for most countries) that is difficult given the diversity of experiences in our various regions.

Some of these are non-fiction (A Walk in the Woods, Devil in the White City, and All the President's Men), some are books I personally don't like (Grapes of Wrath and My Antonia), and some are books that are high on my all time list of favorites (Gilead and The Great Gatsby). What they all have in common is a strongly evoked sense of place.

1) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (American West)

2) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American Mid-West)

3) My Antonia by Willa Cather (American Prairies)

4) Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Chicago, IL)

5) The Moviegoer by Walker Percy (New Orleans, Lousiana)

6) The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor by Flannery O'Connor (American South)

7) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Alabama)

8) A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (The Appalachian Mountains - Eastern Seaboard)

9) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Long Island, NY)

10) The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (New York City, NY)

BONUS

11) All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (Washington DC)

I'm sure that if 50 different Americans played this game, we'd have some overlap, but a plethora of different titles would emerge. That's the agony and the ecstasy of having a vigorous literary tradition (similarly, I don't envy a Brit trying to represent the UK in 10 books). It would also be interesting to have people make lists based on their home regions - I suspect more nuance and richness in experience would surface in those lists.

I'm curious - to my fellow Americans, do you think this is a solid representation of our rather diverse country? What would you have added or left out?

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.13 and 2.14 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 17:32:00 +0000

Episode 2.13: "The One with the Prom Video"

AAAAAHHHHH!!! This is such a great episode!!!

I know that the main event comes at the end of the episode, but seriously guys, stick with me here, because BRACELET BUDDIES!

So Joey is raking in the DOOL money these days, and he wants to pay back all the money Chandler's lent him over the years and sweetens the pot with a sweet ass gold bracelet. Oh, the bracelet. It is the essence of tackiness and gives Chandler the opportunity to make about 100 hilarious bracelet jokes (see below for a smattering). There are some tears, some lost bracelets, some found bracelets, but by the end, Joey and Chandler are firmly ensconced as bracelet buddies. Rejoice!

(Also, I should mention here that Jack and Judy Gellar show up, which is always my favorite, basically to get the plot mechanics for Ross and Rachel into place. Plus, they feature in a sex tape at the very end of the episode that Monica accidentally sees.)

Ross is nearing despair in his pining for Rachel. She is starting to actively pursue other men. Phoebe tries to reassure Ross that he and Rachel are made for each other - they are each others' lobster (if you haven't seen seen this episode, it's hard to explain, but it's mostly just a sweet way of saying that two people are destined to mate for life). He tries to communicate this to Rachel, who completely crushes him - "accept that." *Sob*

HEARTBREAK. Seriously, this is the first episode when I am fully invested in the two of them being together, because it is the first episode when it is clear that what Ross feels for Rachel is something besides just adolescent puppy love. I actually hurt for Ross here.

Finally, we come to the prom video of the title. So many delights feature here - Rachel's old nose, Fat Monica, Ross' afro, Jack's double polo, and Judy's 80's hair. But most importantly, Rachel finally sees how much Ross loves her and for how long that candle has been burning. It's enough for her to finally get over her petulant grudge holding and make it happen.

YES HE IS!

No new sexual partners, though we do get a horrifying glimpse into Jack and Judy's love life.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Joey: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 7

They like each other and are together: 1

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"He wants to do a little dance, make a little love, and, you know, pretty much get down tonight." - Chandler

"That must have cost you quite a few dabloons." - Monica

"The eyesore from the Liberace House of Crap! I pity the fool that puts on my jewelry! I do!" - Chandler

"A woman in my office is a lesbian... I'm just saying." -Jack Gellar

"Oh, Jack, look. It's that house paint commercial you like." - Judy Gellar

Joey: "Is this friendship? I think so! Check it out, we're bracelet buddies!"
Chandler: "That's what they'll call us!"

Episode 2.14: "The One Where Ross & Rachel... You Know"

Guys, for me, Friends has finally hit it stride by this point in Season 2. The characters and character dynamics have been firmly established, the tone of humor has leveled out at consistent hilarity, and, by getting Ross and Rachel together, the writers are not leaning on plot histrionics to get people tuning in. Finally, they are trusting the humor and characters to be enough.

With that said, things keep picking up for Joey at DOOL. They picked up his option! And so, he buys the first set of barcaloungers for him and Chandler. Awww...

Also, now that Ross and Rachel are together, all seems right with the world. They are both so gooey-eyed in love that Rachel's difficulty in transitioning into a sexual relationship with Ross is clearly a temporary obstacle. After some giggling during a make out session, Rachel is able to get over her nerves, and she and Ross get down to business at the museum. In the planetarium. I remember this scene very distinctly from my first viewing as a young teen - it seemed so sexy to me (I mean, besides the juice box thing, which I didn't get at the time). Chris Issak's "Wicked Game"? Looking at the stars? Swoon.

Alas, the mood doesn't last...

In other news, Monica enters the first serious relationship that she has during the series and it's with the fantabulous Tom Selleck.

Tom Selleck plays Richard Burke, the ultra suave, handsome optometrist .. who is also Monica's parents' best friend. He's 21 years older, yes, but the chemistry between the two of them is off the charts and for Monica, it totally makes sense that she would be with an older man. They try to fight the attraction, but by the end of the episode, they are definitely an item. You go, Monica!

We end the episode with two of the shows' most memorable couples together, Joey and Chandler happily lounging in their apartment, and Phoebe doing her Phoebe thing. All is right in the Friends universe.

RACH & ROSS DO IT! Plus, MONICA & RICHARD!

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIIII

Phoebe: VIII
Joey: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: VI

Ross: III

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 7

They like each other and are together: 2

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"If you buzz our door, there's no tip for you." - Chandler

"You guys are so pathetic... Oh my God, XANADU!" - Phoebe

Ross: "No! Australopithecus was never fully erect!"
Chandler: "Maybe he was just nervous?"

Books Like Whoa: Everyday I'm Poeticizing

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:34:00 +0000

Well, not every day. But every week I'm poeticizing for my grad school's newspaper (Et Cetera Online). I know embarrassingly little about poetry to have such a column, but it's been good fun to explore the wide world of poetics and to invite others to join me. Aside from my small offering, you should certainly check out the great articles that have been featured so far this year... it is definitely a window into how blessed I am to be studying with such smart and interesting people.

Enjoy!

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.11 and 2.12 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:37:00 +0000

Episode 2.11: "The One with the Lesbian Wedding"

Before we even address the plot of this episode, I'd like to take a moment to pause and reflect on how many funny one liners this episode contains. I've listed my favorites at the bottom. Any one of them would be gif worthy, but I will save that honor for the king of this episode's jokes:

Anyhoo, this is the week where Susan makes an honest woman out of Carol. Carol is great - she wants to include Ross, but doesn't force his hand. Everyone gives Ross a hard time for not wanting to participate in the festivities, but I have to say, I'm on his side here. If she had left him for a man, no one would blame him for feeling weird and jealous and sad about her remarrying. That's what makes it all the sweeter when Ross really comes through for Carol - as a friend and as the father of her child- by walking her down the aisle. And when Ross and Susan dance together? My heart melts. The whole divorce situation was incredibly unfair to Ross, even if it was unavoidable, but it's lovely to see him make lemonade out of lesbian lemons.

In our B stories, we have Phoebe (weirdly) being possessed by an old woman who died while Phoebe was massaging her, Joey enjoying the perks of soap opera fame, and Monica becoming increasingly unhinged as she pulls together the menu for the wedding.

Rachel's mother (played by the fabulous Marlo Thomas) is also visiting the friends this week, kicking off one of the last major family story lines that the series ever tackles. Rachel finally realizes that her mother's life is basically the one that she escaped- there is genuine pathos when her mother quietly explains, "You didn't marry your Barry, honey... but I married mine." What makes the storyline work is that you see both women's point of view - Mrs. Green sees Rachel's independent life and it makes her own life seem constraining. Rachel wants her parents to stay together. No one is the bad guy and while there's humor, there's no short cut around the tension of the situation.

You know, now that I'm thinking about this episode, I have to say it is both incredibly sweet and incredibly funny - this is something that that the series will do increasingly well and consistently in subsequent seasons. This episode is great all around and reminds me of why I like the show so much.

No hookups in this episode - though Chandler does have some spectacular strike outs with the lesbians at Carol's wedding.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Joey: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 6

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"Then I started thinking about all of us and how these are the days of our lives." - Joey on DOOL

"Whose the bitterest man in the living room, the bitterest man in the living room... hi neighbor." - Chandler on Ross

"Hey, if she were marrying a guy, she'd be, like, the worst lesbian ever." - Joey

"The last time I saw you it was eat or be eaten." - Mrs. Green on Monica

"Can't she just copy my haircut?" - Rachel on her mom

"You did cut into my very busy day of sitting." -Mr. Edelman

"So, what's new in sex?" - Mrs. Green

"The world is my lesbian wedding." - Chandler

Episode 2.12: "The One After the Superbowl"

Guys, I'm genuinely surprised by this episode - I remember hating it, but it actually made me laugh quite a bit!

The main reason that I remember hating it is because Marcel comes back for no reason at all other than remind us of that tragic period of Friends history. Happily, it also results in Rachel and Monica vying for the affections of Jean Claude Van Damme (natch) and Phoebe having to physically intervene.

Speaking of Phoebe, oh the songs!! So, Phoebe gets asked to write children's songs for story hour at the local library. I cannot resist - I am going to have to quote them all in full:

Now, Grandma's a person who everyone likes,
She bought you a train and a bright, shiny bike.
But lately she hasn't been coming to dinner,
And last time you saw her she looked so much thinner.
Now, your mom and your dad said she moved to Peru,
But the truth is she died and some day you will too.
Lalala LAlalala LAlalala LAlalala La La La La
Lalala LAlalala LAlalala LAlalala La La La La

There'll be times when you get older

When you'll want to sleep with people
Just to make them like you
But don't.
'Cause that's another thing
That you don't wanna do
Everybody!
That's another thing
That you don't wanna do.

Oh, the cow in the meadow goes moo,
Oh, the cow in the meadow goes moo.
Then the farmer hits him on the head and grinds him up,
And that's how we get hamburgers.
Now, chickens!

Sometimes men love women
Sometimes men love men,
And then there are bisexuals
Though some just say they're kidding themselves.
La lalala lalalalala la
La la lalala lala la la

When her boyfriends tries to point out that these are not the most age appropriate songs, Phoebe takes it really well.

In other news, Joey has a stalker! And it's Brooke Shields! The very best part of this story line is when she starts caressing and licking his hand in a public restaurant (as you do). Though watching all the friends throw water on Joey is also pretty great.

And finally, we have the most exciting celebrity guest spot of the episode: Julia Roberts as Chandler's vengeful love interest! Before we go any further, can we just say that using the word "underpants" instead of "underwear" is 10x funnier? I don't know why, but it just is. Anyways, Miss Roberts is Chandler's 4th grade friend who is holding a grudge over something 9 year old Chandler did to her. Long story short, she leaves him alone in her pink thong in a public men's room. Lesson learned? Don't be a jerk when you're a kid or it will result in utter humiliation as an adult. And the other parents said my parents were wrong to let me watch this...

Again, no new sexual partners.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Joey: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 7

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"I hope you realize you're not getting these underpants back!" - Chandler

"I'm sorry Mr. Geller. But you know, there's an old saying: "Sometimes monkeys die." It's not a great saying, but it certainly is fitting today." - Evil Zoo Keeper

Frolicking in Fall Foliage

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Guys, if you haven't noticed, it's fall.

My favorite time of year... I'm not totally sure why. Part of it is that I love pumpkins and apples and all the autumnal food that kicks in this time of year. Part of it is that I love fall leaves and finding new colors to take pictures of (I'm just warming up for the year...).

But mostly, I love walking around in the crisp air, snuggled up in corduroy jackets and cashmere scarves, and musing on life and death. I know that a lot of people think it's macabre to think about death. But you know what? It's a part of life. The insipid #YOLO craze reveals the only valid function that many people see for death is an ominous reminder to do whatever the hell you want to now because the fun will be over soon. Even if you don't believe in an afterlife, surely there can be some wisdom taken from not treating death as the ultimate ill.

Fall, for me, is a reminder that our lives are indeed short, but that our short time on earth is a part of the bigger story of humanity. It reminds me that life is full of both joyful and awful things. It reminds me of beauty and temporality and the terror and ecstasy that is living. I feel more alive after I walk around in the leaves, and I invite you to give it a try. Here are some of the songs I've been listening to this fall to help set the musing vibe:

"April, Come She Will" - Simon & Garfunkel
"Awake My Soul" - Mumford & Sons
"Vito's Ordination Song" - Sufjan Stevens
"Every Breath" - Gungor
"Hand-Me-Down Tune" - The Avertt Brothers

Now go see some leaves!

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.9 and 2.10 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 14:24:00 +0000

Episode 2.9: "The One with Phoebe's Dad"

This is officially the episode when I get sick of Ugly Naked Guy with the way too obvious Christmas balls joke.

Though in other recurring side character news, Gunther finally gets a name! And a line! Rejoice, one and all. And we establish Mr. Treager as their weirdo super.

Anyways, moving on...

In the list fall out from last week, Ross is trying to convince Rachel that if she made her own list about him, she'd feel better and they could move on. When she does, he takes it really, really well (spoilers: no, he doesn't). He tries to counteract her (all too valid) critique of his inability to act by completely failing to rectify their broken radiator situation. Rachel lets him down easy...

(Also, BTW, the radiator being broken jokes throughout this episode are delightful)

Meanwhile, Phoebe has discovered that her grandmother has been lying about who her father is, where he is, what he looks like - basically everything.

Chandler and Joey delay their Christmas shopping to accompany her on the first of many attempts to make contact with her real dad. Aside from establishing her amazing old school taxi and terrible driving skills, not much is accomplished as Phoebe realizes the emotional risks of trying to meet the man who walked out on her family are too steep. The boys are incredibly sweet and supportive... but don't worry because they then make up for their soft side by getting everyone terrible presents at the gas station. Windshield wipers, sodas, toilet seat covers, and condoms. Well, thanks guys...

This is a great episode all around - charming, poignant, and funny. Merry Christmas to us all!

No new partners this week, and Monica and Phoebe hold onto their lead.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 4

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"Unless 14 across "Gershwin Musical" actually is bite me, bite me, bite me." - Ross on Monica's ruined crossword

"Don't you have to be Claymation to say stuff like that?" - Chandler

Episode 2.10: "The One with Russ"

Really, writers? I am getting sick of this protracted nonsense of keeping Ross and Rachel apart for no good reason. Look, she likes him. He likes her. There are no true obstacles to keep them from being together.

This episode, they try to remind us that we're supposed to be rooting for R&R to get together by having Rachel date Ross' doppelganger in periodontist form (no seriously, it's David Schwimmer in both roles).

Yawn. Writers, if this is all you can deign to come up with, than I won't deign to fully recap. Besides this boring A story, Joey is conflicted about whether or not to sleep with a casting director to get a part on DOOL (Days of Our Lives, to those in the know). Considering that he ends up playing Dr. Drake Ramoray for almost half of the show's run, I think you can guess what he decides to do.

Also, Monica tries to date Fun Bobby again, but discovers that the "fun" part is squarely linked to the "alcoholic" part of Bobby. Hijinks ensue. And I end the episode tapping my feet, ready for some actual story to happen again.

(PS - Glad Julie gets a happy ending!)

Joey reminisces about past exploits and adds another notch to his tally- he pulls into second place. Joey & Denise "General Maker" DeMarco and Joey & Lori the Creepy Casting Director

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Joey: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel likes Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 5

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"You could not be more wrong. You could try, but you would not be successful." - Russ/Ross

"I always made excuses about it like I'm just a social drinker, or hey, it's Flag Day!" - Fun Bobby on drinking

"Yep, you're going to have to sleep with her." - Estelle

"I don't know what she sees in... in... that goober. And what, and it takes him, what? Like... like... I don't know, uh... uh, hello... a... week, to get out a sentence." - Ross on Russ

Books Like Whoa: On Curation and Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 16:52:00 +0000

I have a moment every so often that nearly brings me to tears. The location is inevitably some bookstore or library. The occasion is my gazing around at the countless bookshelves around me. The feeling is the awareness that I will never be able to read all of these books. Well, that's the first feeling. It is swiftly followed by acute existential despair.

It doesn't even have to be a book collection as big as your typical public library or local bookseller. My own personal library routinely bums me out. I have approximately 650 books, of which I have not read about 250. And that doesn't include the couple hundred free books I've piled up on my Kindle (totally doesn't count, right? Out of sight out of mind...). Between a mountain of school reading and the desire to do something besides hang around with my nose in a book, when am I going to read all these?

Whenever I read articles like this, it further reminds me of the limits of my reading time here on earth. There are only so many books I will be able to read in my lifetime. There is only so much space I have in my home and on my digital devices to hold books. How do I decide what books to procure? How do I determine which books to read?

I normally have some sense of purpose in reading, but with my "job" being so focused on reading, it's getting harder and harder to find my personal reading voice these days. I don't really have an answer of how to balance pleasure reading with things I have to read, at this point. I only hope I can get my book ~~hoarding~~ procuring habit under control until I figure that out...

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.7 and 2.8 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 17:54:00 +0000

Episode 2.7: "The One Where Ross Finds Out"

Let's dive right into the meat of things, shall we? Because this is a Top 10 episode for me... That's right. Because it combines genuine hilarity with epic plot movement, as all great Friends episodes do.

Rachel is trying to move on- really. She's deflated about Ross and Julie and she wants to distract herself. Yet this noble attempt is totally thwarted when she discovers that Ross is getting a cat with Julie. I mean, how is she supposed to have a normal date when she knows that the love of her life is about to take things to the next level with The Other Woman?

So Rachel proceeds to get rip roaring drunk on her blind date... poor Michael! He really deserves better on his first date after his divorce. But sloppy drunk Rachel is amazing. There's cat jokes, there's gigantic cell phone humor, there's wine bucket humor, there's great physical comedy... what's not to love? And as Drunk Rachel finishes her drunk dial to Ross- in which she reveals her secret love, natch- she has one of the show's all time best lines:

Rachel doesn't totally remember what happened on her date the next day. That is, until Ross starts to check his messages.

Ross is flummoxed by this revelation. So much so that he totally blows the whole getting a cat thing with Julie (his freakout at the animal shelter is pretty great). He goes to confront Rachel and they have the first of many epically melodramatic fights. However, by the end of it....

Ross and Rachel kissed! Hooray! Let's see how long this lasts...

In other news, Monica is helping Chandler get into shape - mostly to give her something to distract herself from her unemployment blues. Chandler is a little reluctant.

This is a great B story, though the weight jokes seem to be in a little bit poor taste given Perry's drug and weight struggles in years to come. However, since we get to see him in stretchy pants, I think they get a pass. Great work out montages and brilliant revelation about Chandler's butt-clenches at work keeping the mail people from delivering to him.

Also, Phoebe gets duped into having commitment free sex with the guy she's dating. Joey takes notes on his strategy.

Phoebe sleeps with Scott after his Jedi-mind tricks... Phoebe & Scott

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 2

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"You're being a little weird about your phone." - Rachel to the stranger who doesn't want to let her use his cell

"I think there was a restaurant... I know there was wine." - Rachel on her date

"But if we put on spandex and my boobs are bigger than yours, I'm going home." - Chandler

Joey: "When I first met you, you know what I said to Chandler? 'Excellent butt, great rack.'"
Phoebe: "That's so sweet! I mean, officially I'm offended, but that's so sweet..."

Episode 2.8: "The One with the List"

Ross and Rachel kissed! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! A great opening scene to demonstrate the difference in men and women's priorities examines this question.

Ross has a huge dilemma after the passionate kiss fallout... he clearly loves Rachel, but he's with Julie. He cheated on Julie. Hmmm, perhaps this should be a warning to you, Rachel?

Anyways, to clarify the position that he finds himself in, Phoebe writes him a song called "Two of Them Kissed Last Night." Allow me quote it in full...

There was a girl, we'll call her Betty
And a guy, let's call him Neil
Now I can't stress this point too strongly...
This story isn't real.
Now our Neil must decide
Who will be the girl that he casts aside?
Will Betty be the one who he loves truly?
Or will it be the one who we'll call... Loolie?
He must decide, he must decide,
even though I made him up, he must decide!

Thanks Pheebs, that clears everything up.

Chandler convinces Ross to make a pro/con list on his epically old computer.

Chandler is so sadly excited about word processing. Anyhoo, the bottom line? Rachel isn't perfect, but Ross loves her anyways. He breaks up with Julie... and for a hot minute, everything is fine.

Alas, we know this can't last. We're only 1/3 of the way through the season - no way we can't milk this relationship for a little more drama. So...

Rachel finds the list. Now, while I adore Chandler's attempt at cover up ("Oh look, cried Ned!"), this is an utterly ridiculous contrivance. I mean, yes, the list isn't great. It would certainly hurt my feelings if I was in her shoes. But 30 minutes of fighting should clear the whole thing up. Instead, there is another melodramatic fight and emo use of "With or Without You." By the end of the episode, Rachel is sulking and Ross is pining. No one wins, except the writers and sweeps week.

In other news, Monica gets an amazing part time job with Michael McKean as the Evil Mocklateer. Mocklate sounds amazing/terrifying. I love it.

No further hook-ups, so Phoebe and Monica stay tied to fight another day...

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VIII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 3

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

Joey: "Tongue?"
Ross: "Yeah."
Joey" Cool."

"Oh, I know. This must be so hard. 'Oh, no! Two women love me. They're both gorgeous and sexy. My wallet's too small for my fifties, and my diamond shoes are too tight!'" - Chandler

"Oh sweet Lord, this is what evil must taste like!" - Phoebe

Monica: "I have no morals and I need the cash."
Evil Mocklateer: "It's like I'm lookin' in a mirror."

Books Like Whoa: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rereads)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 04:12:00 +0000

I have to confess, I've always defended Harry against his nay-sayers for this book. But on this reread... I finally had to admit that they had a point. Project Reread HP ticks along with book numero 5...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling

First Read: I was there at midnight in 2003 to get my copy, which I tore through immediately

Format: Plugging along on the audiobooks courtesy of Pottermore and Jim Dale - love that man

Thoughts:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of my favorites in the series, or at least it has been up to this reading. Yet I have had to come to grips on this reread with a simple fact: it is built on a trifecta of asshattery. The asshats in question are Harry, Sirius, and Dumbledore. Let's consider each of their asshattiness in turn.

Harry is basically a whiny schmuck throughout this entire book. I will defend him, because he is a 15 year old boy, and his normal hormonal craziness is likely simmering alongside a solid case of PTSD. He is still an asshat, especially when it comes to lashing out at his friends without being able to articulate what he's so mad about.

But considering that he's basically coming to grips with a lifetime case of being Typhoid Mary, I'll give him somewhat of a pass.

Now let's look at Sirius. He is more responsible for acting like a petulant child, considering that he is a GAM.* But to be fair, he went to a Guantanomo-esque prison when he was innocent and still a pretty young guy, so that's enough to screw you up royally. True, he literally pouts when Harry refuses to aid and abet him in genuinely reckless behavior.

And his cockiness *SPOILERS* gets him killed, which is the last thing that his godson needs at the moment.

But again, he clearly has some serious psychological baggage that is motivating his actions. I can make my peace with his immaturity.

The final corner of this asshat triangle is Dumbledore and let's be real, he has by far the fewest excuses. This is one of the only times in the series that I truly feel Rowling fails to properly/realistically motivate her characters. He's keeping all the backstory from Harry (which we'll deal with in the next reread) for 2 ostensible reasons: 1) Dumbledore doesn't want Voldemort to catch onto his plans and be tempted to control Harry, and 2) He wants to preserve what's left of Harry's childhood and not cause him any more pain. The first reason is ab.surd. Voldemort is bound to figure out that he can see into Harry's mind sooner than later. Voldemort will then know that Harry knows there's a connection. Considering that Harry is Dumbldore's #1 protege, don't you think Voldemort can make that leap that Dumbledore knows that Voldemort knows that he can get up into Harry's psyche?

Insane. Why Dumdledore didn't have Harry onto Occlumency lessons, like, the day after the Triwizard Tournament fiasco makes zero sense. As for the second supposed reason, let's get real here. Harry kissed his innocence goodbye a long time ago. Even if we were to ignore his mother being murdered in front of him, his subservient treatment by his unloving relatives, the 2 previous times that an embodied form of Voldemort tried to murder him at Hogwarts, and the trauma of being nearly soul-sucked by a herd of Dementors, let's just look at what happened to him right before Dumbledore starts giving him the freeze out...

Harry is lured into a death trap by his mentor/confidant, who is actually his attempted murderer's minion. His friend is murdered in front of him. He is strapped to a tombstone and watches his parents' Judas cut off his own arm. He sees Voldemort emerged from a bubbling caldron and then has to have the equivalent of a wizard street fight with the guy in the middle of a graveyard while a bunch of menacing adults taunt him. His dead loved ones emerge in ghost form to aid him and then he has to carry his dead friend's body back to Hogwarts. Just when Harry thinks he's safe, his mentor reveals that he is an impostor who is also going to try to kill him. And then he's basically called a liar by the head of the government.

So, yeah, Dumbledore. I think the innocence ship has sailed. And is it really going to be less painful to found out that he's probably going to be murdered by Voldemort in a couple years? I say yank that band-aid off sooner than later. I know JK is trying to pass off that Dumbley is too emotionally involved with Harry, but really...

Anyways, my biggest take away from this book is that Dumbledore's faults are a lot more glaring now that I'm an adult and have a better gauge as to what constitutes reasonable behavior towards the care of minors. There is no real reason why Dumbledore doesn't give Harry at least a little more information, other than it would ruin JK's plotting. I can feel the gears turning here a little too hard in an attempt to hold the major plot arc off for the next book. That being said, this makes me even more excited for books 6 & 7.

And besides the trifecta of asshattery, Order has an abundance of delights. Watching the gang form Dumbledore's Army is delightful (Harry puts on one hell of a night class!) and the Weasley twins' escape from Umbridge's clutches never fails to bring a smile for me.

Ehrmagerd, speaking of Umbridge, she is pure evil! I never fail to be totally creeped out by her twisted combination of sadism and obsessive pink collecting. She is a bureaucratic Satan incarnate, truly, and hat's off to JK for creating such a thoroughly despicable character in such a plausible way. And the scene in the Department of Mysteries never fails to creep the ever loving crap out of me.

Besides all the faults that I can see in Phoenix's plotting, it continues to be an incredibly emotional reading experience for me. When I got to the end and realized who died on my first read, it screwed up my life for a while. It is the reason that I read the ending of any book I am emotionally involved with before getting too far into things. I can't handle having it sprung on me. And even though I know the ends and outs of this book pretty well, it still gives me the feels in a serious way.

The audio on book 5 continues to be great - the adverbs seem to be letting up. Maybe she'll out grow them? Anyways, you go Jim Dale. You're the best. (Though that being said, I have recently been made aware that in the UK, you can get a version with Stephen Fry narrating. I wants it, my precious!)

*Grown Ass Man. Counterpart is Grown Ass Woman. Patent pending.

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.5 and 2.6 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Episode 2.5: "The One with 5 Steaks and an Eggplant"

Y'all, this is an awkward one. The friends encounter the ultimate taboo subject among polite society. Not sex, not politics... money.

This story is an important step in deepening the relationship between the friends, but it's also a big fat bummer. Feelings are hurt. Things are said that cannot be taken back. (Though $62 a pop on dinner? I'd balk at that, too)

The very dated Hootie and the Blowfish subplot is good fun (and we find out a lot about Rachel and Stevie Fisher's dad), but mostly this episode is about making the gang confront some real complications in their relationships. Despite these differences, though, when the chips are down and Monica loses her job (over nothing, by the way, no way that that doesn't get sorted out IRL), they all pull together. We also start Monica's multiple years of un- or under-employment... which will lead to my favorite of the friends' jobs.

But that's later this season.

Much more fun is Chandler's trist with answering machine girl, Jade. He conspires to break her heart so that he can swoop in and sleep with her.

So wrong, right? Well, considering that the whole thing ends in Chandler being humiliated over his sexual prowess on his own answering machine, I think he get's his comeuppance.

Chandler pulls into third place! Chandler & Jade

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 5

They like each other but aren't together: 1

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"Pure evil...horny and alone? I've done this." - Chandler on his plan

Episode 2.6: "The One with the Baby on the Bus"

This episode is light-hearted good fun, if a little lacking in compelling plot. Chandler and Joey volunteer to take care of Ben for the day when Monica accidentally poisons Ross with kiwi, hoping to pick up some chicks. They do, but in the process - as the title suggests- they leave the baby on the bus.

The bulk of the humor comes when they come to collect Ben from lost and found (love Joey's head nuzzle to sell the gay couple aspect) and they realize they don't know which baby is Ben. So they decide to flip for it...

Ross understandably freaks out... luckily they have found his weakness.

In other Friends news, "Smelly Cat" debuts!!!

This is also the episode when we hear the shower song that I still sing every morning when I am shampooing... "Lather rinse repeeaatt, lather rinse reppppeeeaaatttt, lather rinse reeeeeppppeeeaaaatttttttt- as needed."

Sadly, Phoebe has been replaced as Central Perk's resident hippy dippy songstress. Then again, if one is going to be supplanted, then Chrissie Hynde is a pretty amazing person to do said supplanting. This complication is gone within a couple of episodes, so don't get too upset. Phoebe and her guitar will live to rock another day.

No additional hook-ups this week

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VII
Chandler: VI

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 6

They like each other but aren't together: 1

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"I have 7 Catholic sisters- I've taken care of hundreds of kids." - Joey

Books Like Whoa: Rereading Tolkien

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:47:00 +0000

Oh, Mr. Tolkien. How I love you. How I've missed you.

This summer, I took a class on J.R.R. Tolkien, which involved rereading most of the Tolkien oeuvre. I know, my life is so hard. It was one of the more joyful assignments I have had and conversation about the books has rippled out from the classroom into many other corners of my life.

And since this was one of the most significant reading experiences of my year, I thought I'd take some time to reflect on how I found these old friends this time around.

***

What surprised me most about The Hobbit this time around was the amount of sympathy I had for Bilbo at the beginning. 12 year old Frankie thought he was being a wet blanket about the whole adventuring thing. 26 year old Frankie was totally with him on the rude, unexpected house guest front. Seriously, a bunch of people you've never met show up and start eating your food and throwing your shit around?

No. Not cool. Frankly, I salute Bilbo for keeping it together as well as he does.

I loved seeing how Tolkien uses Bilbo's genealogy throughout the book to explain why Bilbo makes certain choices, framing his decisions as the conflict between his adventuresome, Tookish side and his homebody, Baggins side. What a genius way to externalize an internal conflict - and a totally approachable way to illustrate inner ambivalence to children.

This is also a genuinely funny book. Throughout Tolkien's Middle-earth cycle, I was struck by Tolkien's very dry sense of humor. He does a particularly nice job of funneling his commentary through Bilbo's inner thoughts and I especially enjoyed the sheer annoyance that Bilbo feels over the standoff between Thorin and the men of Dale/Elf king.

This was probably my favorite reread, since I didn't remember very much about the book from the first time around. It was a delight to rediscover its pleasures.

I know that this corner of Tolkien's work doesn't appeal to everyone. Not everyone enjoys reading made up history and mythology, but I find this fictional version of non-fiction delectable. My only real revelation on this reread was that since I'm much more familiar with Tolkien lore than I used to be, I didn't have to check the family trees as often. I still loved The Silmarillion and I love that I will probably make new connections every time I read it.

Whew. Y'all. I forgot how amazing this book really is. I had tried to read it when I was about 12, after The Hobbit, and struck out. Once the movies came out and helped me get into the plot (and assured me that they weren't going to be hanging out with Tom Bombadil for 1000 pages), I breezed through LOTR, primarily to find out what was going to happen. Consequently, the impact of the prose was pretty fuzzy in my memory and I didn't pay much attention to the thematic content. This time I did, and y'all...

It's breathtaking. Tolkien's prose is truly beautiful - the details he lavishes in painting the landscapes are gorgeous and his linguistic interests shine through in the perfection of his word choice. His themes are consistently woven throughout the narrative: never too heavy-handed, but omnipresent to give weight to even the smallest scene or interaction.

And even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I found myself crying on multiple occasions (OMG, Theoden? All the goodbyes at the end? The Grey Havens?). In the library. With people awkwardly walking away from me.

Whatevs. LOTR was an amazing reread, one that I would love to revisit every couple of years for as long as I'm reading.

There are a lot of great things contained in this collection of smaller Tolkien writings, but the stand out for me was Leaf by Niggle. I'm not sure that I had ever read this short story before, but seriously, it is one of the best allegories I have ever encountered. Considering how much Tolkien is known for disdaining allegory, he hits one out of the park with this story. LBN should be required reading for anyone interested in thinking about how a short story can deliver a wallop of a punch to a reader. Truly, it is an example of a perfect short story.

***

The bottom line? I wasn't sure if Tolkien's work would stand up to intense scrutiny and rereading. But my fears were unfounded: his oeuvre deepens and opens out with rereading. If you've only been through these books once, I'd highly recommend revisiting them, especially The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They really do hold up.

Friends Friday: Episodes 2.3 and 2.4 (Recaps)

noreply@blogger.com (Franklynn) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:51:00 +0000

Episode 2.3: "The One Where Heckles Dies"

First things first: we learn in this episode that Joey dated a man... or a woman with an enormous Adam's apple. It's hard to say.

Anyhoo...

As much as I like this episode, I mourn the fact that they killed off Mr. Heckles so early in the series. I mean, we endured Ugly Naked Guy jokes for five full seasons, long after the laughs were gone. Could we not have kept their bitter, slightly crazy neighbor around for another year?

Things start off with the girls finally fighting back at Mr. Heckles' irrational belief that they are being too loud.

It's not until later that they find out that they may or may not have killed him. And that he has left his apartment filled with junk to them. There are some good laughs played off of Rachel's love for kitschy junk and Monica's refusal to let it into the apartment. I wish that this side of Rachel had reemerged later in the series, but I think Bloomingdale's and Ralph Lauren class her up, sadly.

The real center of the show is Chandler's over-identification with Mr. Heckles' curmudgeonly ways. This may shock you, but Chandler is not very mature (*gasp! horror!*). This immaturity comes to bear most strongly in his romantic relationships. Rather than dealing with the fact that no person is perfect and therefore no woman is perfect, he finds minor reasons to reject them. As he gets a closer look at Mr. Heckles' hermit life, he starts to realize that maybe he's on the same one way road to creepy loner-ville...

Chandler wouldn't be Chandler if he achieved lasting insight, but his journey in the shoes of Mr. Heckles is both funny and touching and, really, that combination is when Friends is always at its best.

I also adore the plot between Phoebe and Ross. Ross cannot. stand. the fact that Phoebe is skeptical of evolution. Phoebe delights in torturing Ross with this fact. Hilarity ensues- I just love, love, love it, perhaps because it's like watching the two halves of my mind embodied and in conflict. I also love using this episode as an example of the flaws in strict scientism.

Chandler reveals two past sexual partners... Chandler & the Big Nostril Girl and Chandler& the Girl Who Doesn't Hate Yonni.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VII

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Chandler: V

Ross: I

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 3

They like each other but aren't together: 1

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"Well, maybe the overlords needed them to steer their spacecrafts." - Phoebe on opposable thumbs.

"How will you face the other scientists? How will you face yourself?!" - Phoebe after Ross caves

"Not hating Yanni is not a real reason." - Ross

"Kids won't walk, they'll run past my place. 'Run! Run from crazy snake man!' they'll shout." - Chandler on his future alone

Episode 2.4: "The One With Phoebe's Husband"

Phoebe married a gay ice dancer? Steve Vaughn is her husband?

Yes, her husband. Poor Phoebe - she fell in love with a gay ice dancer, married him, and then was forced to divorce him when he fell in love with another woman. Sweet irony. (Or not...)

Unfortunately for her, she's not even kind of the most interesting thing going on the episode named for her. No, what makes this episode a stand out are the two b-stories (also true in the previous episode). First, we find out some amazing details about the friends. Monica had sex with Fun Bobby on the balcony. Chandler has a third nipple. Joey was in a porno as the guy who walks in on people having sex. The scene of them watching that porno is pretty darn funny.

The coup de grace is Rachel trying to persuade Ross not to have sex with Julie and the lengths that she will go to talk him out of it. It ends, as Ross/Rachel conflict stories always do, with her putting her love of Ross and her desire for him to be happy above her own personal feelings. All is right in the friends universe, but Rachel's repressed feelings will live to fight another day.

Ross and his girlfriend finally get it on and Ross doubles his number of sexual partners: Ross & Julie.

The Great Hook-Up Round-Up:

Monica: VIII

Phoebe: VII

Rachel: V

Joey: V

Chandler: V

Ross: II

Ross 'n' Rachel State of the Union

Ross likes Rachel: 22

Rachel like Ross: 4

They like each other but aren't together: 1

They like each other and are together: 0

Nothing's going on: 0

Best line:

"Why yes Ross, pressing my third nipple opens the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia." - Chandler on his third nipple's special features

"You're so smart and funny and you throw such great Academy Awards parties!" - Phoebe on why her husband can't be straight